JD Power study: Toyota and Mercedes customers happiest with dealer service
Toyota customers most satisfied with dealer service; Mercedes-Benz customers happiest among premium brands...
Franchised Toyota dealerships offer the highest level of customer satisfaction, a new survey by JD Power has revealed. Among premium brands, Mercedes dealerships are the best performers.
JD Power’s 2016 UK Customer Service Index Study is based on responses from 8478 people who purchased new cars between February 2013 and April 2015. Respondents took their cars to franchised dealers for warranty or paid work and reported their findings.
Respondents were asked to consider the quality of the service, what the service initiation was like, their interactions with the service advisor, the vehicle pick-up experience and finally the service facility.
Toyota achieved the highest score among volume manufacturers, 774 out of a possible 1000. That’s an improvement of 18 points on the year before. Honda came second with 775, Kia third with 765, Mini fourth with 757 and Suzuki fifth with 753. The average score for volume manufacturers was 744 which is up seven points on last year.
Mercedes came top of the premium manufacturers with a score of 774. Land Rover came second with 773 and Audi came third with 761 which was also the average score for the premium segment.
What does this mean for consumers?
This study shows that owners of cars from volume manufacturers are more satisfied with the service provided by their dealerships than they were last year. Owners of premium cars were just as satisfied as they were last year. Standards are improving and that can only be a good thing for the customer.
Highlighting customer satisfaction to dealer groups can help improve the service every customer receives. This survey highlights what most consumers already know: if they receive good service, they will remain loyal. For example, 92% of highly satisfied customers said they would return to the same dealership for future warranty service work. When the satisfaction dropped just slightly, their chances of returning fell to 74%.
What else did the study show?
The key findings for franchised dealers were that customers want them to be transparent about costs, don’t want to be kept waiting when they come to collect their car and that a friendly welcome from a service advisor is greatly appreciated.
JD Power 2016 UK Customer Service Index Study - full results
Volume manufacturers
| Manufacturer | Score (out of 1000) ||-----------------------------|---------------------|| Toyota | 776 || Honda | 775 || Kia | 765 || Mini | 757 || Suzuki | 753 || Ford | 750 || Seat | 749 || Citroen | 748 || Hyundai | 748 || Volkswagen | 747 || Skoda | 746 || Volume manufacturer average | 744 || Renault | 742 || Dacia | 739 || Peugeot | 736 || Nissan | 733 || Fiat | 728 || Vauxhall | 720 || Mazda | 717 |
Premium manufacturers
| Manufacturer | Score (out of 1000) ||------------------------------|---------------------|| Mercedes-Benz | 774 || Land Rover | 773 || Audi | 761 || Premium manufacturer average | 761 || BMW | 748 || Volvo | 740 |
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